"Microsoft has been furiously ripping out legacy code in Windows 8 that would have enabled third parties to bring back the Start button, Start Menu, and other software bits that could have made this new OS look and work like its predecessor. In fact, I've seen that several well-known UI hacks that worked fine with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview are no longer functional in the coming Release Preview. And those with hopes that Microsoft would allow businesses, at least, to boot directly to the desktop should prepare for disappointment. That feature not only isn't happening, it's being removed from Windows Server 12 (Windows 8's stable mate) as well." When you buy a new machine later this year, you will use Metro, an environment wholly inferior, incomplete, and not at all ready to replace the traditional desktop in any way, shape, or form. Whether you like it or not.

The users where I work are very used to a certain way of working. They don't like change. They will be confused by the new Metro interface. The cost to the company to retrain 3,000+ employees will be astronomical. And, nobody wants it. Even if productivity increases later, it won't be worth it, especially when things work OK the way they are.

I don't believe businesses will upgrade. Personally, I don't know if the interface will be more or less productive. I might even find that I like it. I know that I like Gnome 3 and most people don't seem to like it. So, this is not a reflection on Metro's usability. It's just that it is too radical of a change.

I use Vi. It's far more productive than any other editor. But, its learning curve is also very steep. This prevents many people from using it. Same thing will happen with Metro/Windows 8.

If Microsoft sticks by their guns, eventually enough people will be using it at home that training at the office will be less of an ordeal. At that point, businesses might slowly fall in line. Until then, *IT WILL NOT BE ADOPTED BY BUSINESSES -- THEY DON'T LIKE CUTE -- THEY LIKE PRODUCTIVITY*, period.

Seems that some of the anti-Metro crowd are now claiming that Metro is anti-business, that only the desktop mode is business friendly. That's just silly, and ignores some very nice business Metro UIs that Microsoft has demonstrated. Businesses can adjust to Metro, even if it's just the start screen at first.

One point that he makes that has some validity is that a lot of businesses have just upgraded to Win7, and so Win8 will probably be skipped by the standard business upgrade cycle. That makes it a good time for MS to change things, since it will give business time to adjust before the next cycle comes around.

In many ways this is just like Vista. A lot of people thought that Vista sucked, and skipped it. However, the changes that people complained about in Vista carried over to the acclaimed Win7; people had time to adjust to those changes, and saw that they were good for us.

I think the same thing is going to happen with Win8. Hopefully the process will be in better sync with the business upgrade cycle than Vista was.